FLAME : “Discover India Program” showcases grand success

Oct. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- Pune, October 18, 2010: After months of grueling research and field work, 7 teams from Foundation for Liberation and Management Education (FLAME) presented their research work and findings for the Discover India Program – 2. After intense presentations and Q&A sessions, team Narmada was declared as the undisputed winner based on their extensive research work and presentation. They were awarded a grant of Rs. 5,00,000 for a group research project on Indian Culture and Heritage to be carried out in an international environment. Other teams which received accolades were The Neilgherries Speak for best exhibition; team Auroville and Chung Chung Tibet for best presentation.

Deepa Gahlot- Head of programming for theatre and film, NCPA, Mumbai, Farida Moose- Travel writer for Economic Times and Elle Magazine, Manjiri Khandelkar- Editor of Heritage India Magazine and Achyut Vaze- Dean, FLAME School of Communication and Dr Indira J parikh, president FLAME were part of the eminent jury who graced this unique event with their presence. The panel had a tough time deciding the winners of ‘Discover India Program 2’ as all the seven teams showcased immense promise, enthusiasm and creativity with their projects. The competition was intense but eventually Team Narmada emerged best among equals as they bagged 2 prizes in 4 categories.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Parag Shah, Chairman of FLAME said “The lateral scope of learning involved in such an endeavor certainly reflects the interdisciplinary methodology that is the keystone of the Flame School of Liberal Education; the consolidation and overall perspective required of the students is an excellent instance of holistic learning and the group study method would certainly lead to experimenting with the dialogue and dialectic method promoted in liberal education. We are proud to say that this program is one-of-its-kind research program run at the undergraduate level in the country.”

The Discover India project 2 included field trips to Bylekuppe and Hampi in Karnataka, Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, Ootacamund and Puducherry in Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal and Andhra Pradesh. The entire event exposed students to a series of eclectic learning. The Hampi visit gave students an opportunity to learn about India’s ancient architectural marvels, while the trip to Narmada gave insights into harnessing resources and study the water-related myths and rituals.  Uttarakhand’s mystic valleys and life in its little hamlets helped students assimilate the essence of India’s religious texts and culture.  The Chung Chung Tibet community of Karnataka is a case study of people living amidst Indian cultural traditions over a long period of time. Giving students yet another view into community life were nuances of the lifestyles of the Todas and Kotas which are two prominent tribes in Ottacamund, Tamil Nadu. Dispelling all doubts of achieving similar success in the urban landscape is the town of Auroville in Puducherry which is an incredible model for sustainable development.

After such an enlightening yet intense competition, one can justifiably conclude that every participant emerged a winner in terms of knowledge gained through this unique program.

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FLAME, a non-profit organization was established in 2004 with an objective to create and build an excellent Institution of higher learning that is grounded in Indian values. Foundation for Liberal And Management Education, better known as FLAME is founded by Mr. Nemish Shah of Enam Financial Consultants Pvt. Limited and Mr. Parag Shah. FLAME, nestled in the hills of Pune, currently has about 500 students and more than 45 full time faculties from renowned Universities like Stanford, Yale, Rice, Brown ,Chicago and Washington.